01

10 cm tall cup holder used as 3D charging space - Overcoming
distance and position limitations

An ETRI research team successfully developed a cup holder-shaped wireless charger that allows charging of electronic devices in a 3D space regardless of the position and direction of the charged devices.
On May 25, ETRI announced that it successfully developed a 3D space wireless charging (E-Cup) technology that allows charging of a smart phone placed in any direction within a space of about a 10 cm diameter at a constant charging efficiency.
The new 3D space wireless charging technology is based on technology for maintaining a uniformly distributed magnetic field within a specific space to overcome the limitations of the conventional 2D pad type wireless charging technology.
The research team employed a phase control technology to charge several smart phones simultaneously. The 3D space wireless charging technology may be used to simultaneously charge several smart devices placed in a cup holder-like space of a 10 cm diameter regardless of the directions of the charged devices.

02

Magnetic resonance-based charging in uniform magnetic
field at constant charging efficiency

The research team explained that the power charging rate is the same as wired charging and the power charging efficiency is about 60% of wired charging. The charging efficiency is the world's top level, although an efficiency of about 70% is required for commercialization. A technology for embedding the core technologies in a chip will be also required for commercialization.
ETRI first applied magnetic resonance-based wireless power transfer technology in 2014. In addition, in 2015 ETRI developed a 2D (x-axis and y-axis) wireless charging technology based on magnetic resonance for electric bikes.
The newly developed wireless charging technology is an example of 3D wireless charging technology in all directions: x-axis, y-axis, and z-axis. The research team considers this technology as a generic technology that may be applied to all areas of industry.
In addition, a cup holder-shaped wireless smart phone power charger for vehicles drew much attention at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2017 held in Las Vegas, US, in January 2017.

03

Wireless Charging Device Market To Be Expanded

Lee, Ho Jin, the head of the Radio Satellite Research Division of ETRI, stated, "The newly developed technology has huge ripple effects, considering the wide range of potential applications, although the technology is still in its infancy. It is a generic technology that may be applied to various radio wave-based services such as future IoT technology, eco-friendly vehicles, and drones, even creating a new market.” The ETRI research team is paying attention to spaces like living rooms (5 m x 5 m) to develop new and more efficient energy transfer methods that may be applied spaces of human life. The technologies for a highly efficient and miniaturized energy transfer system will be developed, and the human safety issues of the system will be resolved for commercialization and standardization.
Markets and Markets, a US market research institution, has predicted that the market for wireless charging devices will grow to about 1.3 trillion KRW in 2022.